We Teach Life, Sir
by Palestinian Eyes
Summary: "We haven't forgotten the world. The world has forgotten us, but we shall remind them. Remind them, that there's more to life than all these silly gadgets you drown yourself with. These wars you create. These words of hate you could easily muster up and say to one another. We shall make you all remember.." Pairings: Huey/Jazmine, M. Caesar/OC, Riley/Cindy, and others.
1. Brooklyn

**A/N: **Hello!_ Salam! Was gudd?_ So I'm excited and kinda nervous because this is my first Boondocks fanfic. It will be extended obviously, I just focused this chapter on Michael Caesar. Which is my favorite character, why? Well, he has a brighter view on most of the depressing/realistic political or non political views Huey Freeman comes up with.. And I like that. I wish they'd include him in the series... Of course it would be better with McGruder back.

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_They say the heat makes people crazy. They never said anything about the cold though._

It was cold, the worst kind of cold; the one that caused your bones to scream out in pain once you step outside.

I wondered how much longer I would be standing at the platform waiting for the train to arrive. Especially considering the fact it was already flurrying and the gloomy weather was having a bigger effect on my irritable morning attitude.

I don't mind cold weather, but what I do mind is having to wake up at an ungodly hour just to spend seven hours in a social institute where the belief that learning the Pythagorean theorem would definitely benefit students rather than learning how to file a 1040A tax return. Then once we graduate, we are solemnly expected to succeed and live a normal life

_Why can't they teach us more important things at school? Why are the morons always in charge?_

I was pulled out of my train of thought at the yellow Q sign flashing rapidly in front of my eyes. I stepped onto the train, thankful for finding a seat closest to the platform screen doors. Putting my earphones in, I closed my eyes as I listened to one of my favorite MC's, _Mos Def_.

Brooklyn is, statistically speaking, one of the most culturally diverse places in the world. You will find African-Americans, Hispanics, Arabs, Desis, Asians, Native Americans, and many other races. Many ignorant people like to think that Brooklyn is made up of ghettos, but that is utterly false. Look at Mill Basin, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn Heights, and Park Slope. They're several of the richest areas in the five boroughs. I guess that is what makes Brooklyn so exclusive, because there are ghettos, suburban places, and fine luxurious areas. There are neighborhoods that are so diverse it's placing this borough as a prime example of a microcosm of the world.

It's not too bad here; at least I know I would be able to get out more once I graduate. I have a vast interest in culture. I've always wanted to travel, and gain more knowledge about history and culture of different countries around the world. Maybe I could start with Brazil. Yeah. _Brazil_.

As the train halted to the stop, I gathered my belongings—which consisted of my green backpack, and my navy blue fleece jacket—and stepped out the metallic doors.

It was seven thirty. I had thirty minutes until school started. With no hesitation, I left Avenue M station and walked up the pedestrian bridge. There was a small bagel store I loved going to if I ever had time in the morning. "_Paterson Bagels"_ it was called.

As I made my way down the bridge and walked straight ahead, I spotted the dull green banner and OPEN sign on the door.

The bell chimed as I walked in, I noticed there were more people in the shop today than usual. A white woman that looked like she could be in her mid-thirties was holding a child in her arms, whilst making an order.

As I waited in line, I couldn't help but get an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach that usually meant something bad was going to happen today; _I hated those feelings_. I shrugged it off and remained silent.

I greeted the storekeeper politely after ordering the usual cream and cheese bagel with a cup of coffee. Then, I gave her my signature smile, followed by a flirtatious wink. _Cliché, _but hey, she was pretty.

_7:_50

_Crap!_

I exited the store and fast walked towards P.S. 118. It was an averaged sized school with an overpopulated amount of students. Every class had at least 40 or more students. A lot more than your average school, but this was normal here in BK.

Walking through the rusted blue doors, I managed to make it in at 7:55. I saw my friend Tyrese talking to a girl, she was about 5'4, dark-skinned, with straightened hair that fell all the way to her back and big hoop earrings that covered almost half of her cheek. She carried her iPhone in her hand as she gave Tyrese flirtatious smiles along their conversation. I rolled my eyes and approached my friend, causing her to step aside and give me the biggest death glare a woman could possibly give a man.

"Yeah, I'll hit you up later Tyrese." She said as she turned on her 3 inch heels and walked away in a teasing manner.

"Caez, why you always gotta cock-block a nigga?" He whined in my face

"'Cause, I told you she's trouble, Tyrese" I replied and crossed my arms

"How would you know? Just cause y'all was together before doesn't mean that you know her like dat. I mean shit; maybe she'll treat a _real_ nigga different this time."

I rolled my eyes; Tyrese could be an ass at times, but I try my best to deal with him. That's how most people around me act, eh, so might as well.

"Shut up." I scoffed

"Man you just mad she like me more den you. That's all."

I was getting angry now. "You ain't shit Tyrese; don't try to act like you got game now. Two weeks ago you was whining about how lonely you are. You're just a thirsty ass nigga."

Tyrese shoved me and got into a fighting stance "Man fuck you! You always tryna ruin everythin'; always getting in my goddamn business!"

"You want some, nigga? Is this what you want? I thought you knew better!" He continued rambling.

Now I _could_ avoid this situation by using my brain and simply walking away. But for some reason my senses told me to fight. Before I knew it, I threw a hard punch to Tyrese's face that knocked him the _fuck_ up.

His nose oozed a dark red and his hands quickly covered his face. Breathing hastily, he looked at me and balled his hand into a fist.

"Yous about wish you never did that." He mumbled.

I smirked; Tyrese was far from intimidating to me. Sure, standing at 6'0 with a fit build from ballin' you'd think he was tough. But he's not the brightest; and lately he's been hatin' on me because I actually get dates and he doesn't…which does not surprise me because he treats women like shit. Only reason I was friends with him is 'cause our mothers were close and we regularly balled on our local court. But soon both of us grew up, and unfortunately for him, he started chillin with niggas that belonged to a street gang on the streets of Bedstuy. I told him joining a gang was the dumbest thing he could do but my advice was pointless. I don't know if he's with them or not, though he often talks about an initiation or some shit. I don't buy it but whatever; back to reality:

Tyrese ran towards me with his fist and just as he was about to throw it, I blocked it with my right hand and kneed him in the stomach, causing him to clutch it in pain.

Just as our fight was about to get heated, security took me and Tyrese to the principal's office.

_Great._

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

"I don't think we can stay here no more, Michael." said a thirty year old tired-looking woman in a slight Jamaican accent. She was short, standing at 5'1 and had dark skin and dreadlocks similar to mine, only longer and they were tied back.

"But ma, you _know_ Tyrese is an idiot. I ain't my fault this time!"

"It's not about that, Caez."

I looked at my mother skeptically; I was currently sitting on my couch in our living room at my apartment. I got suspended for three days and I was currently arguing with my mother about my current situation at school.

Instead of her berating me, which is what I expected, I was faced with a calm and sad attitude. _Bizarre._

"What do you mean then?" I asked

"Caez, I don't know how to say this, but we're movin'."

Before I could muster what she said. I went inside my room and shut the door. _The fuck you mean leave BK? Where the hell are we supposed to go!?_

"Michael Rashid Caesar! Get your ass out of there, we still gotta talk!"

"Ain't no talkin' to be done ma! We've been here all our lives! Why we movin' now?" I yelled from the other side.

A silent pause was to be heard, followed by a sigh and a fragile voice saying: "We have no money, that's why."

I opened the door slowly and looked at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry Michael, but Jerome took the last of our savings and just...left." Her eyes became watery.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" I yelled "If it wasn't for that dumb ass boyfriend of yours always stealin' from you we'd be fine! What happened to that last check I gave you from work?!"

She didn't respond as she sobbed and sat on the couch.

"I'm... s...sorry!"

"Where are we gonna go, ma?!"

She sniffled and looked at me with pleading eyes, "You remember your older cousin Kaleem right?"

"You mean the one that won the lottery four years ago? Don't they live in Maryland or some shi—oh wait, _hell no_. I ain't movin' four states away ma! Why can't we just stay with Uncle James in Harlem?!"

"Your Uncle has _six _kids to raise on his own! We can't just ask him to take us both in! Besides, I talked to your cousin, he said he'd be more than happy to help us _and_ he got lots of space in his house. It's in the suburbs too. You'll get to live in a house Caez! Ain't that better than these raggedy ass projects we're stuck in!? Every day I hear gunshots comin' from these crazy kids outside. You know I don't want you near that. It's going to be good for us. I promise you."

I sighed, knowing I couldn't possibly win this argument. I knew she was right about her point where this neighborhood was getting worse and worse by the day. However, I hated how all my hard work went to waste because she was with a boyfriend that didn't know shit about treating a woman properly. He verbally abused my mother all the time, but I haven't seen him hit her physically; which was only good for him.

For those of you that are wondering where my real father's at; well, he's currently in Jamaica. When my mom was pregnant with little Caez, she emigrated from Jamaica to Brooklyn, NY with my father. However, 3 days before their flight, my father passed away from a sudden heart attack. Or at least that's what she tells me. I know there's more to it but I never bring it up, because she gets glossy eyed whenever I do. So I dropped the subject.

We lived with our aunt in Bedford-Stuyvesant aka Bed-stuy until 1998, where we settled in a medium sized, and nicely furnished apartment in Flatbush. I was two years old. I remember our neighborhood was a pleasant one; one that was filled with color, culture, and good people. Back then where all our neighbors of different ethnicities knew one other, back then when good friendships were established, and back then where we'd throw good ol' block parties. I'm not saying it was all perfect, because nothing is perfect. I'm just saying things were better back then. That's all.

I looked at my mother and lolled my head into my hands, rubbing my forehead.

"So when are we leaving?" I asked

"Two days, your Uncle is driving us to LaGuardia on Wednesday."

I sighed as I walked inside and started packing my belongings. This was gonna be one long ass night.

I don't know when things got bad; I think it was back in 2005. I was seven years old and I remember ballin' on the court with Tyrese, it was going fine, until we both heard gunshots; several gunshots.

Tyrese and I ran across the court to see a young Hispanic woman screaming and crying. I couldn't remember why or what exactly happened, but I do remember my mother telling me that there were new people moving in and that her son—my old friend, Franco Sanchez—just passed away. He was a year older than me, and when I grew up, I knew that he was shot and killed in a drive-by accidentally when he was walking home from our local C-town across the street.

From there, we had more shootings. Eventually it escalated where the violence reached our schools. Wherever violence spread, you'd find poverty. Times weren't that great during Bush's presidency, everything became worse and worse over time.

Police brutality worsened also, it is known that the NYPD is one of the most corrupt police departments ever. They themselves are the biggest criminals and lawbreakers that exist in the city. They sure can be good when they want to, however, it seems that nowadays if you just say something they don't like; or look a certain way, they will not hesitate to arrest you and beat you with a stick—or worse, pepper spray you till you lose your eyesight permanently.

This has happened to me before. Apparently, I was accused of insubordination because I was walking down the subway stairs wearing a hoodie with my earphones plugged in. A police officer suspected I didn't have a MetroCard and assumed that I did not pay for my ride.

I was pushed into the ground and a natural reflex of mine is to defend myself against a random stranger that just tackled me to the ground for no reason. Be aware that I had earphones and I was wearing a hoodie, therefore I was not aware of what was actually going on until shortly.

When I realized that I was being apprehended for something I was falsely accused of. I went into rage and began saying listing my so-called constitutional rights. This only made the cop laugh and ignore me.

I was in handcuffs and I was set to the side where he went to call his partner over. They both asked me a shit ton of questions that I answered truthfully and confidently. I wasn't going to let two pigs scare me.

_What's your name kid?_

"_Michael Caesar"_

_And how old are you?_

"_Seventeen."_

_I didn't see your ticket or card. Let me see it._

"_I'm kind of handcuffed here."_

…Eventually,

The cops realized that I was innocent and had no reason to question me any longer. So they apologized for their actions. Well, more like them telling me to stay out of trouble and to get on home. Their abhorrent behavior caused me a black eye and a headache.

_Pigs._

I'm not saying all the force is bad, really. It's just lately my people have been seeing more of their bad side than good. And most of the time, we're accused of things we haven't done. It's a cruel world but what are you gonna do about it?

Tuesday passed by quickly and before you knew it, it was 8:07 AM on a Wednesday. I woke up and did my normal routine, only this time, instead of taking the train to school. I got into the backseat of my Uncle's old Toyota.

I turned around and realized this would be the last time I would see the only place that I called _home_. Suddenly I felt the urge to appreciate what I had left of my own hometown, so I took in my surroundings, beautifully. I opened the window and looked outside. I breathed in the slightly polluted air; _it never bothered me._ I loved it all, and I wish that I appreciated what I had instead of complained. God, it was such a beautiful borough, and I would miss it till the very end…

Goodbye New York.

_Goodbye Brooklyn._

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**A/N: Review? Please? I would appreciate anything really, tell me if its good, bad, boring, too long, too short... Just remember, this is only the first chapter. I will try my best to update.. **

**It disappoints me that most of the good stories in the section have last been updated 5+ years ago. Its alright though, I understand we all have lives to get to. But I am adamant to finish this fanfic, I think it'll be a good one. **

**Also feel free to PM me if you have any suggestions/questions...etc.****  
**

Peace.

-M


	2. Neighbors and Jazz

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for reviewing! It means so much! Not gonna make this authors note long... So I leave you with Chapter 2 of 'We Teach Life, Sir'**

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_Jazmine_

If I was to say that walking out on a deluge without an umbrella was terrible, then I'd be a hypocrite.

I admired the rain, quite deviant to many of you out there, but I find it peaceful; a time where it washes away all the bad things and then finishes off with the sun shining. Regardless of what it does to my hair, it brought peace and sanity to the world. People were more quiet, and compos mentis.

My footsteps landed me in front of a beige colored door. I rang the doorbell and waited as a tall figure opened the door. No one other than the infamous Huey Freeman, his wine eyes had a glint in them; which was bizarre.

"Hey Huey" I said as he stepped aside, letting me in.

"Jazmine, it's pouring outside and look at yourself, you're soaked." He stated in his monotone voice.

I realized that I was shivering, it was cold, and I was soaked.

"I thought If I ran q- quick enough…"

He sighed and motioned for me to go upstairs, and I obeyed.

We went into his room, which he now had all to himself thanks to Granddad finally realizing it was about time his boys were turning into young adults. Well, let's just say Granddad walked in on an incident involving Riley and some girl that went to our school. Robert Freeman broke his belt that day, and to Huey's dismay and complaining, Riley moved into the guest room. It was a fair deal if you ask me.

I sat on Huey's bed, taking in my surroundings as I always do. It looked the same way it did when we were ten; except he added more posters and now a display showing off his sword collection. It was pretty cool if you ask me.

"Here."

I looked up to see him handing me one of his shirts, it was black and it had "Fight the Power" imprinted on it in white.

I stood up and was about to exit his room to go change in the bathroom, when he stopped me.

"I'll go out." He assured as he left

I felt my cheeks turning red for some reason, did I feel embarrassed? I've known Huey for almost eight years now; we've been really close since then. Sure, he made me cry a couple—or many times. But I guess it was all for a reason. My naivety has slowly faded away over the years, mostly from hanging around him. Huey taught me how to fight; I am not as professional as he is; however, I could manage to protect myself against a grown man if I needed to.

My optimistic attitude remains the same. I still bring up the positives whenever Huey is sulked into his own negativity. I'm aware of the injustice this world is filled with, but I always like to look on the bright side… I mean someone has to.

I changed into Huey's shirt, which fit largely on my small frame. It would make sense because he's not the same ten year old anymore. He's about 6'3'' making him two inches taller than his brother, Riley. He had a broad, muscular frame; I've noticed from various workouts we've done together.

Me on the other hand, I've grown to an average 5'4''. Puberty has treated me well also, no more awkward pre-teen body shape. I've matured into an average young adult. With a C cup bra size and a firm behind from daily exercise, it's a _much_ better improvement than what little, naïve Jazmine looked like before! My frizzy hair was naturally tamed into looser curls, and I usually wear it in a ponytail. Or let it flow down to my mid-back.

I left Huey's room and made my way downstairs, only to see him sitting quietly on the couch in his living room with a laptop on his lap.

"Hey" I greeted with a smile

He glimpsed up at me for a second. "You should wear black more often."

"I'll consider it." I smirked back.

I sat next to him on the couch and looked to his side.

"Whatcha up to?"

"Finding more about the truth behind Boko Haram and what's going on in Nigeria."

"Oh I heard about that, he's the one that kidnapped all those school girls right?"

"Yep. I mean, that _is_ what they're telling us."

"What do you mean?" I asked

"You can't trust everything the American media tells you. This man seems like a lunatic, but we don't know the full story. Remember Kony 2012?"

"Yes."

"Exactly. No one truly knows the full story; you cannot solve a crisis by simply putting hashtags via social media. Or letting famous people talk about it as if they know where Nigeria is even located on the map. These people are ridiculous."

"At least we know they care though." I stated

"Do they really? These people just follow what everyone else is doing. I could put my effort into creating a fake story and brainwash people into buying another _Kony 2012_ kit. Now will that do any good? We'll simply find out if people are dumb enough to fall for such a thing."

I sighed.

"I certainly hope where ever these girls are they are safe." I said

"I do too. Whoever this man is, he's definitely insane. I just disagree with how America choses to deal with certain issues, that's all."

"You think too much, Huey. Relax." I smiled

"That takes effort." He replied. His permanent scowl fixed on the laptop screen.

"Something's ought to make you smile. You'll see someday." I said

"Maybe…"

Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking was heard from outside. We both turned around and looked outside the window.

The deluge had ended, and a moving truck had stopped in the midst of the street. A woman in her mid-thirties stepped out of the vehicle and shouted in a slight Jamaican accent: "Did you just drop my vase Michael!"

"Nah ma, its fine! Honest!" The son shouted back

I looked to Huey with excitement.

"New neighbors!"

"Yeah, finally, more people of color."

The car drove two houses down from the Freemans.

"Let's go say hi!" I pleaded

"Jazmine I don't think—"

Before he could continue his sentence, I ran out the door and headed towards the house. I could hear Huey behind me, trying to catch up to me.

"Jazmine wait." He said as he grabbed my arm causing me to stop running

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"You can't just go like that! You don't know these people…"

"That's why we're gonna go meet them Huey! Pleasseee?" I pleaded

He raised his eyebrow and sighed in defeat. I knew he couldn't resist my pleas.

"Fine, but I'm coming with."

We walked a couple of blocks down only to see the woman and her son at an extravagant looking mansion. It was almost as big as Thugnificent's. Well, that was before his career ended.

Beautiful was definitely not the right word to describe the view. Palm trees were planted all around; there was a huge fountain in the center, illuminating a beautiful tangerine color that reflected onto the house. The patio was huge; it was circular and seemed to cover most of the area. Flowers of all types were planted everywhere. Overall it looked quite luxurious. I was lost for words. It was just, _breathtaking._

"Holy S—"Huey started but I interrupted him with a gasp followed by an awe of a simple "Wow…"

Unfortunately for us we could only stand and admire from the enormous black gates that almost reached the sky, securing the outside of the mansion.

"Well, guess that is as far as we're gonna get, let's go."

"But wait-! We still need to mee—"

"Well. Well. Well. If it ain't that little communist niglet and his goi'lfriend, lil' miss half and half." I was interrupted by someone that Huey, Granddad, Riley, me, and possibly the entire black community despised quite so much.

My cheeks reddened in realization at what he said.

"What do you want Ruckus?" Huey turned around and stood tall in front of me, giving him his famous scowl—oh wait, he always wore that.

"Y'all need to get the hell up outta 'ere! Lurkin' up in the White Man's property ain't somethin' a coon and a half should be doin'! Breathin' his fine air, and admirin' the great oh so luxurious mansion that belongs to him!"

"Ruckus, hate to break this to ya but this mansion isn't owned by a white guy." I said

Ruckus snickered and eventually broke into a fit of laughter. "What?! Y'all think a darkie or Mexican owns this beautiful mansion!? Y'all musta lost your goddamn min—What in the name of Ronald Wilson Reagan!?"

Ruckus gasped and looked ahead of us, only to see a mid-aged man dressed in cultural Jamaican attire emerging from the mansion with the same lady and her son that Huey and I saw earlier.

"Told you so," I remarked

"Blasphemy! This is simply outrageous! Why lord? Why?! We don't need no more coons in this beautiful, once-white neighborhood. They Jamaican too! Oh I bet they brought in the Marijuana with them too. I think it's about time I start packin' my bags before this turns into that stupid movie with that crazy police hatin' rapper Ice Box"

"Ice Cube." Huey stated

"Don't matta'! I'm long gone! Your Uncle Ruckus is gone!" He left as he uttered more hateful racist remarks underneath his breath.

"_Thank god_." I mumbled

"Okay, we've seen the house, now let's go." Huey said

I stomped my foot in disagreement. "No!"

"But how are we gonna get in Jazmine? The gates are obviously clos—"

As if it were on cue, the black gates opened and a boy, presumably in his teens, walked towards us. He had brown hair that was locked into medium length dreads and wore a crocheted rastacap.

"Wassup?!" He greeted us with a smile

He was tall, almost as tall as Huey, and he had a slim figure with a slight build in his arms and chest. He wore an _Immortal Technique_ shirt and khakis, alongside black and red Jordans.

"Hi! I'm Jazmine and this is my friend Huey. We live just a couple of blocks up from here…"

He gently took my palm and landed a kiss on it. I giggled, such a gentleman!

"Hello Jazmine, my name's Michael Caesar. But just call me Caesar." He said as he winked at me.

Huey stiffened and rolled his eyes at the sight. He then, cleared his throat as if about to say something when I interrupted him.

"You have such a beautiful house Caesar!"

"Thank you, well. It belongs to my cousin Kaleem. Me and my ma are just crashin' here for now."

I noticed he had a slight accent.  
"Where did ya'll move from?" as if Huey read my mind.

Caesar fake gasped "Ah he speaks! I hail from Broooooklyn!" He said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Brooklynites are quite the prideful people." Remarked Huey

"Very true, where do ya'll hail from? Been here all your life?"

"No. I'm originally from Chicago, but I moved here when I was ten."

"I'm from Detroit, but I also came here when I was ten."

Our conversation went quite well. Turns out Huey and Caesar had a lot in common, despite their slight tension whenever my name was brought up in their conversation. Whenever Caesar wanted to ask me anything, Huey would try to change the subject. I was slightly taken aback, but maybe I'm overthinking things and that's just the way Huey is.

Caesar was seventeen, like Huey and I. He was a month older than Huey. Making him turn eighteen in January, whilst Huey in February and me, in August.

The days passed and before you know it, the three of became closer. Personally, I think Caesar is a very sweet, outgoing, and down-to-earth person. He's quite the charmer too, yesterday we went to the Woodcrest Plaza to get some pizza and he managed to grab four girls' numbers in just an hour. He admitted he wasn't the 'player' type, but he didn't mind the attention.

Huey and Caesar also went into deep conversation about politics; this time they primitively focused on the Bush Administration. With Huey criticizing every flaw in his presidency, and Caesar making political jokes about Condoleezza. Even though I didn't really catch onto most of their conversations, it was hilarious to see Caesar crack jokes every now and then. He even made Huey smirk once! Too bad for him though, he's never seen Huey smile before, I'm glad I got that chance.

Uh… That wasn't supposed to come out like that…

_Anyways._

I was currently lying down on my bed. It was 11:03 PM; Huey, Caesar and I had just spent the day in downtown Woodcrest at _The Nubian Queen_, a well-known small Jazz club that Huey worked at. The age to enter the bar was 18, and it was 21 to drink. However, the owner, Mr. Farrakhan was quite fond with Huey. They discuss important societal matters and other politics, I often hear them talking about a 'resistance' or something but I'm not quite sure. Apparently he has some relation to Louis Farrakhan, but it's a touchy subject that he doesn't like to speak of, so he always tries to change the subject. At least that's what Huey tells me.

_The Nubian Queen_ was the perfect place to hang out on evenings and nights. Huey and I often came here whenever we had the chance to. They played the best music the Jazz genre could offer. It was mellow, smooth and relaxing… It just made you want to follow the beat or sit down in a chair and fall asleep.

Huey liked the place as well and became a frequent visitor. Eventually, Mr. Farrakhan offered him a job as supervisor. Quite a strange position for a seventeen year-old, but it was just fancy talk for someone that organized and set dates for musicians from all over to come and preform here, he was also in charge of making sure everyone was doing their job at the club. Mr. Farrakhan thought it would be suitable because of his 'intense attitude and stern demeanor'. I just think its cause he has a scowl that has the ability to overpower and scare anyone that wouldn't obey his commands. It kinda reminded me of that Christmas play he once directed in 5th grade, he was all controlling and demanding, I remember he even fired the whole cast! I smiled at the memory.

They often had Spoken word nights at _The Nubian Queen_. I liked those the most; I loved the poetry that many people recited. Sometimes I came here by myself to see Huey, and ended up spending my time listening to what the poets had to say. It makes you think about society and the world in general. They often bring MC's on the stage; Mr. Farrakhan said that Talib Kweli actually came and performed here in the year 2000. Huey talks about it all the time, being a fan of Talib Kweli and all.

I began drifting in and out of my thoughts; I realized that I was getting tired.

My last thoughts focused on Huey, I wish I knew what my brain was trying to say. But my feelings were mixed. I wasn't sure how I was exactly feeling. Usually, I shut these feelings away and try to think of something else.

But this time I couldn't.

_Sigh._

Droplets of rain began to fall and gently tap my window. Being shadowed by white noise that soothed my ears, I finally decided to call it a night and fell into a blissful slumber.

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**A/N: If I get enough reviews I'll try to update by tomorrow. Love y'all.**

Peace  
سلام


	3. Geniunely Fragile

**A/N: Hello my dearest followers. I just wanted to thank all of you that favored and reviewed. It means the world to me. Many things have happened in the past week. I am officially finished with high school, my commencement is on the 6th and I am very excited. Hopefully I'll have more time to update before College starts... I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. **

**If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask in the review section, or PM me.**

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_Huey_

"Common? Really?" I exclaimed, trying not to show too much of my excitement.

"He's gonna be here on the 22nd of December! Ain't I the best manager or what!?"

"You're alright to me…" I replied with a smirk.

Mr. Farrakhan gave me a smack on the back with his newspaper. "Boy, you sure are quite the talker!" He sarcastically commented.

I shrugged my shoulders and began marking up the date on the system's calendar. I was genuinely happy that Common was preforming at The Nubian Queen. It's been a while since we've had someone talented preform here.

It was 8:14 on a Saturday night on the 25th of November. I, alongside Jazmine and Riley, were on Thanksgiving break. Personally, I hated this holiday. I hated almost every holiday our nation came up with. Thanksgiving is basically when white men tell their children that their ancestors "settled" here. When the truth is that they 'invaded' the Natives, murdered them, and raped them until they barely even existed… So yeah; Happy Thanksgiving y'all.

I am thankful for many things; I just don't chose to be thankful for them only on a certain day each year. People need to be thankful every day, but that's their problem.

Granddad usually held an annual thanksgiving dinner and invited the DuBois, Ed Wuncler and his grandson, Ed Wuncler the III, and Ed the III's good friend, Gin Rummy. Granddad usually ignores my meaningful and truthful speeches and lectures about the true meaning of thanksgiving, as he does every single holiday. So I just learned to deal with it.

Usually we'd all have dinner, say what we're thankful for, then, the adults would drink the night away. Riley would try to grab him a beer or two, I would regularly stop him from doing so, but he managed to get away with it a couple of times. He was rarely home anyways.

"Huey, I think you've done enough for the day, why don't you lock up and take the rest of the night off ah?"

"But Mr. Farrakhan, its only 11:30, the club is gonna be busy in half an hour with new performers. I don't think I—"

"Huey, how many times did I tell you to just call me Neil? And don't stress about it boy, you work hard enough. Have a little fun! Go out with that cute suga'momma of yours that always comes to see ya, what was her name again? Yazmine?"

"Jazmine." I corrected him.

"Jazmine! She's such a sweetheart if ya ask me, are ya'll goin steady or something?"

I shook my head and lowered it, why was Mr. Farrakhan asking me these irrational questions? We had other important things to do.

"Boy look at you, gettin' shy and all that! I say you should definitely ask her out!" He continued, as if he was mocking my inferiority whenever it came to this subject.

This wasn't the first time Mr. Farrakhan had brought up Jazmine. Oh no, he'd bring her up around me all the time. Considering the fact she visited daily, and usually sat quiet in the corner listening to the evening blues as she scribbled in her small notebook.

Only it had been different for the past two days, she hadn't shown up to the NQ. I have to admit I was quite inquisitive as to why she had skipped out that day. Turns out she had been spending the day with Caesar, showing him around the town and such.

Caesar wasn't that bad, we actually saw eye to eye on many issues. However, I despised it whenever he tried to speak to Jazmine. He clearly tries to flirt with her all the time; she is clueless to all of this since she's well…Jazmine. Nevertheless, I try to keep an eye out for anything shady that he might try to work on her.

_Why does this bother me? Usually I'm an insensitive brick wall. I can't possibly have strong feelings for Jazmine…_

I've known Jazmine since we were ten, I often ridiculed her and harshly berated her because of her naivety. She was so gullible and innocent back then. I felt like an ass sometimes, but I think what I did was quite necessary in order for her to become who she is today, which I do not mind at all. She's much smarter, stronger and less credulous now.

_She's pretty too._

I mentally hissed at my conscience.

"Whatdya say boy?!" Mr. Farrakhan interrupted my train of thought.

I felt the atmosphere getting warmer and I was desperately hoping that he would change the subject. I for one am not quite contented to share my feelings towards Jazmine to my boss. I don't think anyone would want to have this conversation with their boss at all.

_You just admitted you had feelings for her, Huey._ My conscience snapped at me

I ignored the small voice in my head and simply shrugged in response, Mr. Farrakhan should know me to be like this by now.

He flaunted his hands at me in a 'screw you' kind of way. "You think you're emotionless but you'll see one day, whether it is Jazmine or not, you'll definitely find that special someone that makes you feel warm and sweet over that cold, bitter exterior!"

"Ouch Mr. Fa—I mean _Neil_." I replied in a monotone voice.

"Hush boy, now go home and have _fun, _will ya_?" _

"That sounds like a lot of work."

"Boy, don't make me whoop yo ass now!"

Mr. Farrakhan reminded me so much of granddad. He was the exact replica of him; well, except Mr. Farrakhan actually listened to me and valued my beliefs. He is also very active in his personal life, he is willing to bring about change in our nation and fight any inequality the oppressed has to endure. However, Mr. Farrakhan was getting quite old, like granddad. I remember one time how he was talking about death. He knows it's coming, we all do.

"_You know, I haven't seen my grandson in 30 years. But you remind me of him, strong, wise and passionate about protecting the ones you love."_

"_Mr. Farrakhan, what are you sayin-"_

"_Listen boy, I don't know how else to say this, but my time is eventually gonn' come to an end, and I want you to always keep something in mind." _

"_What is it?"_

_He took a glimpse outside the window for a second then he turned towards me and placed his hands firmly on my shoulders. _

"_Never let them win. Never let them control you. They'll try to make you obedient and conform to their standards. They'll try to prevent your natural capacities from developing."_

"_Mr. Farrakhan, I don't think I unders—"_

_He interrupted my pleas by handing me a golden key that was hanging loose from a black chain._

"_Huey, you will someday. I want you to hold on to this, one day everything will make sense because of it."_

_I obeyed and took the chain and placed it around my neck. It was long, reaching my mid abdomen. I was still quite confused on what was happening. Who's 'them'? _

I never forgot about that. I still have that chain till this day; usually I tuck it into my shirt. I didn't tell Jazmine about it, because I was still confused myself. It has been a year since that incident occurred; and so far, things have been pretty normal. Well, Woodcrest normal.

I grabbed my belongings, which consisted of my black coat and my umbrella and headed outside. I started my car—which I bought recently by the way—and drove back to my house.

Parking the car in the garage next to Granddad's pimped-out Dorothy, I stepped outside and headed towards the main entrance.

"Where _you_ been at?" I was greeted with a 6'0" tall, fifteen-year-old brother sitting on the couch in a slouched manner. Not taking his eyes off the television screen, he seemed to be watching the channel I despised most—BET.

"Work" I replied.

"Yeah, well Granddad is out wit' another hoe, and we ain't got nothin' to eat in this bitch."

"Then order yourself a pizza or somethin'" I suggested aloofly

"I ain't got no money, can you lend a nigga some dough?"

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes I wished Riley would be more responsible. He's been fired from three jobs already, even at the age of 15. The first one was working at McWuncler's, where he kept on eating their fries till it eventually lead him to get caught by the manager himself. The second job he had was at a hotdog stand. Not knowing that he had to wear a 'wiener' hat in public, Riley set it on fire the day it was given to him. I recall him saying: _"I ain't wearin' no gay shit! Hell naw, young Reezy don't roll like dat." _

The final and most recent job he had was at Wuncler's Amusement park. Honestly, I have no idea how he got this one. But I'm guessing it was because Granddad and Wuncler were good friends. Anyways, Riley was placed in a stall, where he only had to watch the kids throw rings on glass bottles in exchange for a prize of their choice. This didn't last long…

His old childhood bully, Butch Magnus, came one day and purposely chucked the rings at Riley's face; causing a huge fight to break out. Riley managed to beat Magnus's ass, however, this got him fired the next day. I don't think he really cared though; he was more satisfied with beating his enemy till he turned black and blue.

Riley grew over the years; he had been hitting the gym and recently joined the basketball team with our childhood companion and _his_ best friend Cindy McPhearson. He was quite strong; however he couldn't win in a fight against me. His attention span didn't do him justice in flight or fight reactions. His carelessness got to the best of him, and not to mention that he's lazy and obnoxious. He would do almost anything for _'them paper stacks'_, despite it being legal or illegal; it didn't matter to him.

I sighed as I reached into my pocket and handed him some pizza money.

"You owe me."

He smirked as he grabbed it from my hand.

"Yeah yeah whateva' nigga."

I headed on upstairs into my room and lied down on my bed. I hadn't done much at work, Mr. Farrakhan seemed adamant on making me enjoy my free time, which is why he'd sent me home.

I heard a knock on the door, followed by the sound of someone opening it.

Her soft voice echoed through the house, but she wasn't alone. Another sturdy, deep voice accompanied her cheerfully. I went downstairs and recognized the two faces as Jazmine and Caesar.

"Huey!" she greeted cheerfully

"Hey man, what's good?" asked Caesar

"Who da fuck is you?" asked Riley obnoxiously.

"My name's Michael. Michael Caesar, I moved in about two weeks ago. I live a couple of blocks down."

"Riley Freeman aka Young Reezy. I'm hail from these streets so don't be messin' around or nuthin'"

"Don't worry. I am earnestly terrified of your presence. Young Reezy." He replied with a smirk

Jazmine giggled. Which caused Riley to glare at her.

"What you laughin' at Mariah?!"

"Don't call me that!" her giggling faded and her smile was replaced with a frown.

"Yea yeah, just go on and do yo' business with McHater over there. I'm headed out."

"Where you goin'?" I asked

"Out nigga damn. Can't I get my own space?"

"Considering that its almost 12, and you don't drive. I am questionable."

"Well you don't gotta worry 'bout me nigga. No body fucks wit me around here." He uttered as he left through the front door.

"I can tell you guys get along pretty well…" Remarked Caesar sarcastically

"Eh, he's been worse." I shrugged

"I thought we could all do something today, since well you're not working late today-" stated Jazmine

"Wait, how did you know that I wasn't gonna be workin' late?"

"Well, I saw your car…"

"Oh."

Suddenly, Caesar's phone buzzed. He quickly took it out of his pocket and checked the screen. Slightly frowning, he let out a sigh and said: "Guys I can't chill with ya'll today, I gotta go help my mom out with some stuff for thanksgiving."

"Aight man. We'll hang tomorrow, plus that reminds me. Granddad usually holds an annual dinner, you should come." I offered

"I thought you hated thanksgiving."

"Yeah. Which is why I could use the extra company to keep my mind off giving another rant about it."

"Sure, can I bring my ma and cuz?"

I nodded.

"Okay. See ya man… Bye Jazmine!" he waved his goodbye to me but gave a wink to Jazmine. She giggled and closed the door behind him.

I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed

"What's the deal with you and Caesar?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that. He's obviously flirting with you."

"Hm. Call me oblivious, but I don't really see it."

I snorted.

"What?" she questioned in annoyance.

"Just surprised that you don't believe he's constantly trying to make a move on you."

"Well, even if he was. I don't see him like that."

I felt my muscles relax for some reason.

"You don't?"

She shook her head.

"Nope. Why do you ask?"

I swallowed. I suddenly regretted bringing this issue up. Damn it why did I have to open my mouth.

"I don't know, I thought you two had a thing." I said, trying my hardest to keep a stern face

"We don't."

"I can see that now"

She looked down and chuckled.

"What? What's so funny?" I asked

"You! I think you're jealous!" she giggled

My cheeks turned red all of a sudden. This was crazy. I wasn't _jealous_ of Caesar. Why would I be?

_Maybe cause he's always flirting with your girl. _

Okay now's not the time for my conscience to talk.

I could hear echoes of Mr. Farrakhan's voice in my mind.

'_I say you should definitely ask her out!'_

"I'm not jealous." I responded firmly

"Whatever you saaay." she sang

My scowl hardened as I disliked the fact I was being mocked in my own house.

"It's getting late, _Jazmine._" I hissed.

Her face brightened up "Hm, I have an idea."

She suddenly grabbed my hand and led me to the front door.

"Where do you want to go?"

"The hill."

I shrugged and followed her; it wasn't a bad idea, as it was my favorite place to go to at night and early mornings.

We both walked up and sat underneath the tree. It was dark, but the sky was illuminated by multiple stars. That was one good think about Woodcrest; it was a small suburban neighborhood, the stars were always out.

"Any particular reason why we're here?" I asked

"Well. Not really, I just like it up here too. You're not the only one." She smiled.

I nodded and we both just sat there in silence, we've done this before. However because of my busy schedule with work and all, it has been a while since we've both came to the hill.

I noticed Jazmine was trying to cover up the fact that she was shivering, typical.

I sighed as I took my jacket off and handed it to her.

"What makes you think I want that?" she asked

"Well, the fact that you're shivering pretty much gave it away."

She took my jacket in defeat and wrapped it around herself.

"Huey…"

"Hm?"

"Remember when we were ten, and you came back from Chicago with a busted nose."

"Yeah, and you wouldn't leave me alone about it."

She smiled and said: "I have to admit, it was pretty funny watching the aftermath of Huey getting punched in the nose."

"I don't think it was."

She shrugged, smiling at the memory.

"What's your plan?" she asked

"Huh?"

"I mean we are graduating soon."

"College. Moving out. Getting a job.. The usual."

She fell silent for a moment. Till she opened her mouth and asked me something I didn't know the answer to.

"Are you leaving Maryland?"

I let out a long sigh and thought for a moment. Ever since I came to Woodcrest, I've hated everything about it. Jazmine was merely a vexation on my ten year old self. However, slowly she started to outgrow from her naïve little self, and overtime, we became good friends. Of all times I've berated her and chucked the harsh truth in her face, I didn't want to do it this time.

"I don't know." I replied, truthfully.

She sat with her knees up, and placed her arms around them.

"Well, _I_ would like to leave Maryland."

"Where to?" I asked

"Anywhere, I want to travel more, and help people."

"In what way?"

"Any way, ever since I was a kid, I noticed that I loved helping animals, and I've decided to help people now as much as I can. I thought of joining the Peace Corps. But I wasn't quite sure if it would be enough. My parents were never satisfied with what I wanted to do and I just wan—"

_Jazmine_

"Jazmine, you're overthinking."

I saw Huey's eyes genuinely soften as I rambled on.

"Don't you remember when we were ten? I asked you if you could do anything you wanted to do when you grew up, what would it be? Do you remember your answer?"

He remained silent and looked straightforward.

"_I do._ You said, 'it would be to dedicate myself totally—"

"—to the liberation of the oppressed people around the globe" He cut me off.

"Exactly, you remember?"

"Of course I do. I just never thought you listened to me."

"Huey, I've always listened, you've just never noticed."

"I'm not sure what will happen in the next couple of years, so far it's peaceful. Just look ahead of you." He nudged his head to the entire view of the quiet city of Woodcrest. "No planes, no missiles, the place is intact… I'm not so sure it'll stay like this forever though."

"What do you mean?"

"The people will revolt someday, and it won't be for a stupid reason. It will be for something even we couldn't think of at the moment. Times are changing, new things are unraveling. Each year it's a different crisis. I'm sure people will forget about Boko Haram just like they forgot about MH370. It will be replaced by something extreme. Just imagine, we could be living in a complete dystopia in 5 years." His scowl deepened as he went into abysmal thought.

"And what will you do?"

"Hm?"

"When the world goes into complete darkness, what will you do?"

"Exactly what I told you seven years ago."

I managed to put a weak smile on.

"I just hope I know what to do by then."

I looked at him with my bright jade eyes as I felt a few tears coming up, so I looked away abruptly.

_Why was I about to cry? Could I really be that overwhelmed? _

I tried to hide my face; the last thing I wanted Huey to see was a crying Jazmine. I'm not the same person I was before. I'm no crybaby. I am stronger now, and I shouldn't be crying.

I felt a gentle hand lifting my chin up; emerald met wine.

"Jazmine, you're only 17. You still have plenty of time to decide on what you want to do, don't sweat it. You'll figure it out."

I felt a wet tear falling slowly onto my cheek, before I could get the chance; he wiped it away with his thumb.

_Why is he being so… caring? He never used to treat me like this before. _

_I don't mind it at all. _

"I hope so." I sniffled

He did something that made my heart flutter, he smiled at me. Those were so rare, he'd usually smirk but that was normal. This time he smiled a real genuine smile. I haven't seen him smile ever since we were thirteen and he got the chance to see Public Enemy in concert.

"Don't let anyone put you down. No matter what anyone tells you, you'll always be the kindest and strongest girl I know."

"Thank you" I whispered.

He wiped away the remaining stray tears from my face. It was moments later that I found the two of us leaning in, and we locked lips.

I don't recall how long it lasted, because it felt so short.

I stopped shivering and the warmth of his arms was engulfed around me. His lips were so sweet and gentle; I felt safe and benign, as if no one in the world could hurt me at this moment.

All our troubles and worries were left behind for a moment. Simply, by an act of affection. _A kiss_. Those come in the strangest ways sometimes, but when they do happen. Be sure to cherish it with the person you love.

I know I will.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if it felt too cliche to anyone.. ha. I'm not the best at romantic scenes, but I'm trying to get there.  
**Peace  
سلام


	4. The Omen

**A/N: Hello everyone, just a quick authors note and I'll leave you guys to read on. This chapter will explain what the story is really about, if you do not understand some of the terms I've place in it, feel free to ask.**

***RFID: R**adio-**f**requency **id**entification, this is sorta like a microchip about the size of a single grain of rice that has been used on animals for tracking purposes but also humans, for medical and other security purposes.** YES, **this is real and it does exist. Just look it up.

***NegativeID: NOT **a real company but its based on a real one called 'PositiveID'. Just look it up

*****_Jazmine is kinda OOC, but that's only because I want her naive exterior to fade away. _

_I will definitely include Cindy, and Hiro as well as an OC in the upcoming chapters. _

**Questions? Just PM me. **

* * *

_Huey_

Thanksgiving went by excruciatingly slowly. That was probably because I hated thanksgiving, but also, granddad had an uninvited guest make an appearance.

"Huey!"

"Huh?"

"It's your turn."

Nine pairs of eyes were on me. We were sitting at the table with multiple guests, and some new faces. I've introduced Granddad to Caesar, whom introduced us to his mother, Tara and his cousin, Kaleem.

Kaleem was an obnoxious, reckless, and loud mouthed person. He stood tall at about 5'9'' and wore khakis with a dark polo shirt—similar to Tom's bourgeois attire—Kaleem told us about the day he won the lottery; it was the happiest day of his life apparently. Unfortunately for him, his aunt passed away from a heart attack when she heard the news. Though I don't think he showed much sympathy in contrast to the excitement he was filled up with.

Tara was the exact opposite of her nephew. She was witty, heartwarming, and kind. She's also a fantastic cook if you ask me. She brought over this Jamaican soup called Callaloo, which I found to be extremely delightful. We had a long conversation, and she told us about her and Caesar's story back in Brooklyn. It wasn't the greatest, but they're happy now. I guess that's what matters.

Caesar was quite a handful, I found it hilarious the way he teased Riley about his 'gangsta' attitude. Caesar got along with pretty much everyone, Ed the III and Gin Rummy grew very fond of him. They invited him alongside Riley of course, to a 'meeting'. Caesar was smart enough to figure out that they were international criminals, so he politely declined their devious offer.

Mr. Wuncler was being his casual, self-centered, and arrogant self. Granddad only acted like a kiss-ass in front of him because he didn't want any beef with him, we couldn't risk our house being taken away from the act of corporate capitalism.

Speaking of Granddad, instead of cooking up the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, he pork-flavored the entire feast. From pork fried rice to chitlins, I could not stand being in the house any longer because of the smell.

My diet was considered vegetarian amongst others, since I don't eat pork. Some people thought I was Muslim. I've read Elijah Muhammed's 'How to Eat to Live' when I was nine. The same book I presented the workers when Grandpa opened his famous restaurant 'The Itis'. I would eat meat, but not pork. As Elijah Muhammed depicted in his book: "The pig is a mass of worms. Each mouthful you eat is not a nutritious food but a mass of small worms the naked eye cannot detect. Worms thrive in the hog. When these worms are digested into your system, they cause a high birth rate to hundreds of new worms called larvae, which travels the blood stream of your system and lodge in your muscles. These worms even enter your brain, lungs or your spinal fluid. They cause muscular aches, fever and many other symptoms of sickness. The worm has an amazing ability to go undetected in your system for many years."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the truth about swine.

The Dubois didn't really contribute to the dinner, we didn't mind though. Since we all knew Sarah's cooking was terrible. Jazmine however, was kind enough to make us desert.

Jazmine was the only person beside Caesar that was keeping me sane at the moment. I was sitting next to her at the table, across her mother and father. For those of ya'll that are wondering what happened between me and Jazmine. We cur—

"Huey! Hurry up boy! And don't go on ranting about the white man now." Yelled Granddad; snapping out of my thoughts.

"Well… I'm thankful for this Callaloo that Tara made."

"Oh, thank you Huey! Such a lovely young man."

I smirked at her as I waited for the next person to be picked on my granddad

"Riley!"

_Not surprised._

"What?!"

"What do you want to say?"

"Man, this is some gay shit. The only reason you're doin' this is for Mr. Wuncl—"

"Boy you better hush up! Just cause you're almost 16 doesn't mean that I won't whoop yo' ass with mah belt!"

"C'mon Riley, what are you thankful for?" asked Jazmine in a giggling manner.

"Well, I'm thankful for mah niggas, my sidechicks, and all dem paper stacks I be getting' all day."

I rolled my eyes. The table went silent.

Caesar gave Riley a pat on the back "You tried."

Suddenly, our heads turned to a loud knock on the door, followed by the entrance of a tall white man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Strange, he kinda looked like—

Mr. Wuncler stood up with open arms "Son!"

"Hiya pops, how's it goin'?" replied the man, or should I say—

"The name's Ed Wuncler the II. How ya'll doin' today?"

"Mr. Wuncler? You never mentioned a son." Said granddad

"Of course I have a son, how do you think my idiot of a grandson came along?"

Granddad put on a nervous smile. "H- Hello there Mr. Wuncler, please have a seat."

The day went on eerily, Ed the II was an odd man. Apparently, our house was bought under his name. So technically, he owned this house. He kept on fumbling and playing around with all our stuff, that bothered me, a lot.

After dinner, the adults went into the guest room and outside on our back porch and started drinking. I went upstairs, alongside Jazmine, Caesar, and Riley.

"Man if I could get my hands on a 40 right now!" exclaimed Riley

We were all in my room, debating on how to spend the night, since none of us wanted to be around drunkards. Well, except Riley.

"Riley, why would you drink now? You're too young! Besides, it does great damage to your liver and—" started Jazmine

"Man, shut up! I ain't here to listen to you lecture me 'bout whats good and bad! I'm young Reezy! I—"

"Do what I wants to do! Yeah, yeah, we get it." Mocked Caesar, cutting him off

"Caesar, don't make me kick your ass now!"

"Riley, you couldn't even if you really wanted to." He smirked at him

Riley stood up with his fists in front of him in a fighting position, a very ghetto one.

"Oh yeah!? Want some nigga?! Let's go! Right here!"

Caesar laughed. "Sit down, Esco."

I inwardly sighed and said: "I'm gonna get a drink."

"Ay for real!?" asked Riley

"Water."

"Nigga you gay."

"I'll come with." Said Jazmine

We both exited the room and started walking downstairs. The music was quite loud; we could hear rages of laughter and the smell of alcohol intoxicating the place.

"I did not want to sit and watch Riley pick a fight with Caesar." Jazmine admitted

"Too much action for ya, ah?"

She nodded "More like a never ending war. Since we all know Caesar would beat Riley's ass, and Riley would tell everyone the complete opposite."

I raised my eyebrow "Wow, language Jazmine."

She shrugged and laughed "Get used to it"

When we both reached the end of the staircase, two familiar faces caught my eye; they were in the dining room, alone, having a conversation with each other.

As Jazmine and I got closer, I realized it was Ed II and Mr. Wuncler.

"Wait a sec." I claimed at Jazmine

I walked towards the dining room and stood close but not close enough for the two of them to see me.

"Huh, where are you goi-_mphh_?"

I covered my hand over Jazmine's mouth. "Shh, just stay here."

I knew something was up; I crouched down on the wall as I listened in.

"So how many test subjects we talkin' here?" asked Mr. Wuncler

"Well, it's tough to tell, cause this new device already wiped out our old ones. I'm not sure we're gonna have enough." Replied Ed II in his heavy Italian accent, he exhaled a cigar fume from his mouth.

"What is this device again?"

"It's a special RFID, it'll give ya access to anything, anytime. You'll be able to aquire anything ya want. We'd be finished with it, if this FDA approval shit would get off my back."

"Didn't they approve of it in '04 though?"

"Yeah, it was for NegativeID. They got approved for medical purposes. Until several months later it was found that some rats they'd been experimenting on had developed cancerous tumors from it."

"That doesn't mean humans would."

"Yeah, but still pops, we gotta make sure there's no health problems."

"Ay who gives a fuck, you leave that to me,. Besides, we're doing our government a favor. Imagine! Microchips in everyone, they could do whatever the fuck they want with everyone's information."

"You're forgetting the main problem, we gotta test it on people."

"Eh, don't worry about it, just test them on the Mexicans or Indians, they'll gladly cooperate. Pay them a little. It'll be fine."

"I would do that, but we're supposed to test them on adults and _children_ too. Strong ones, ones that'll be able to handle any defects that occur within the system."

"Would it kill them?"

"If the person's strong enough, they'll live through it. But so far, each person we've tested it on has perished. Gone. _Nada_."

"Damn, what the fuck will it take you to find a good subject?" asked Mr. Wuncler

"We're still searchin' but nobody wants to do it, no matter how much I offer them!"

"_Glad some people still got some sense in them…_" I muttered underneath my breath

Ed the II and Mr. Wuncler turned around and spotted me eavesdropping. Their faces turned taciturn.

"What the fuck are you doin' here?!" exclaimed Mr. Wuncler

Ed the II grabbed my shirt and roughly yanked me closer to the both of them, causing Jazmine to utter a gasp. I shook his grip off my shoulder and crossed my arms.

"What did you say kid?" asked Ed the II in a malevolent tone. I saw Mr. Wuncler grab a hold of Jazmine too. I grabbed her arm away from his grasp and pulled her behind me.

"I said, I'm glad some people still got some sense in them!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Mr. Wuncler

"Why would anyone risk their life over some stupid invention that'll make the rich even richer? What will you benefit over this if the others can't even afford the product—which sounds absolutely nonsensical by the way—itself? How many people have you tested this product on?"

"Twenty. Thirty." Replied Ed II nonchalantly with his arms crossed

"And how many of them have actually survived?!"

"That's confidential kid. Mind ya own business." He shot, coldly

_They're all dead._

My blood was filled with rage, I was angry now.

"You do know that is illegal right!?"

"Shut the fuck up, you don't know anything, brat!" yelled Mr. Wuncler

"Your company will shut down as a result of unethical human experimentation. Your corrupt ways of corporatism will not last. It'll be a complete—"

"Oh really?! And who do you think is gonna stop us? You remember that little incident with Jack Flowers right? When I wanted to bomb the Wuncler plaza downtown, you remember that?! I own the force, I own the feds, and they can't do anything. I got all the power, and all the money, you can't do anything to stop us, kid."

I remembered that incident clearly, how Jack Flowers, Ruckus and I saved Dan Stucky from being killed and becoming a phony "national hero" on that day. We did manage to sabotage Wuncler's plan. However, he was let off easily.

"You can keep on doing your little hero, domestic terrorist shit, but it'll only be a childish gimmick. You couldn't stop us even if you were Al Capone and Escobar Gaviria combined."

"He could shut your ass down if he really wanted to!" yelled Jazmine from behind me

He smirked as he stepped closer to Jazmine and me "Aw… isn't that cute; his girlfriend standing up for him. I remember you kid. Jazmine's lemonade parade? _Too easy._"

"Well, we better get going son. Don't want to miss out on all the extravaganza going on out there." He smirked

"…and if I were you Huey, I'd keep my mouth shut if I wanted to keep this beautiful house. That includes your granddad's mental health of course."

I grunted angrily and clenched my fists

"Same goes to you, princess. You wouldn't want to see daddy go to prison and experience his worst fear would you? It could happen within a snap of my fingers."

The two men left the room and headed towards the back porch. I turned to Jazmine, still pissed off. I should've seen a ploy like this coming. Wuncler's always been nothing but the head of corruption. I wondered how many affluent partners in crime he had.

"You alright?" I asked her

She nodded sadly.

I turned around as I began making my way upstairs.

"Huey, where are you goin—"

"Just follow"

* * *

_Caesar_

"Riley, will you please just sit down already?" I pleaded at the young wannabe Tony Montana

"Ay, you don't tell me what to do! Real niggas don't take orders from no body! Especially not a pussy punk bitch like yo'self."

I laughed "I'm a pussy punk bitch now ah?"

This was too entertaining.

"Yeah, and you a homo too cus you always be hanging around faggy McHater downstairs. Speakin' of, where da hell he at?!"

"Probably sucking faces with his girlfriend." I replied nonchalantly

Oh, yeah. You guys all thought I was flirting with Jazmine? Well yeah, but I was helping my brotha out. That's all.

"_What_?!" Riley asked in disbelief

"What?" I asked

"You actually think he could get some? And from _Jazmine_?"

"Why not? She's pretty, and he's-"

"Gay."

"He's not gay Riley."

"I say he is, he hasn't brought over no bitch...ever."

"Just cause you don't see him with a female, doesn't mean he doesn't get any."

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't"

"Maybe he hasn't found the right one yet, that's it." I suggested

Suddenly, two figures approached the door. Huey seemed a bit aggravated, while Jazmine looked as if someone sucked her lively spirit out of her

"Will you niggas quit fuckin' around?!" yelled Huey

* * *

_Huey_

"Will you niggas quit fuckin' around?!" I yelled

I entered my room to see a bickering between my younger brother and Caesar. Not being in the mood to witness this, I snapped at the two of them.

"Damn, what happened to you?! Nigga lookin' mad cus he didn't get head" muttered Riley

Jazmine glared at Riley, who left the room in a casual manner.

"What's wrong, Huey?" asked Caesar

I began explaining our encounter with Mr. Wuncler and his son, Caesar listened candidly and went into deep thought.

"So what is this device?" he asked

"That's what I'm tryin' to figure out."

I sat on my desktop computer and typed in "Wuncler Incorporated" in the search bar.

I was met with a handful of links, mostly talking about Mr. Wuncler and his many owned companies. I narrowed it down to 'Wuncler RFID'

_No Results Found._

Shit.

I searched and typed in various keywords, however I had no luck. I slammed my fist onto the keyboard in frustration, how could there be not a single clue? Nothing that leaked out yet?!

"Huey, _relax_." I heard her soft voice coming from behind

"How?! If Wuncler has this thing, he could control masses. People are dumb enough to buy this thing! As long as Wuncler advertises it to make it look as good as an _iPhone_, people will buy it"

"We don't even know what the device even is though. I mean it could be useful? Didn't you mention something about medical usage?" asked Caesar

"That was the main purpose of its usage onto humans. But it was shown to cause medical problems, besides. Even medical practitioners disagreed to use it on their patients no matter how much they begged for it."

"So now we know its not made for patients..."

"We also know that its unencrypted, making it at a high security risk. Its vulnerable to hackers, imagine if someone was in control of your entire body. Its lethal at it is unethical!"

"Do you think he's holding people somewhere and experimenting on them?" asked Jazmine

"I wouldn't be surprised, its happened before. Ever heard of Albert Kligman? He experimented on prisoners at Holmesburg prison in, Philly. Project 4.1? Used radiation on humans. Just look up unethical experimenting on humans in the U.S. and you'll find a shit ton."

"So what happens now?" Asked Caesar.

"I'm gonna follow Wuncler's son, Ed the II, and see where he keeps all this conundrum."

"Then we're gonna expose him, right?" he asked me, hoping my response would be a yes.

"I've had that encounter before with Wuncler." I replied, reminiscing the Dan Stucky incident. "Didn't end well."

"Then what are we exactly gonna do?"

"We free the people, destroy his place, and become fugitives for the rest of our lives. That is, if we don't get caught."

Jazmine and Caesar looked at each other with confusion.

"Is this nigga serious?" asked Caesar

"I'm not sure. He once said he was going to run away to Cuba for the rest of his life. I wouldn't be surprised."

I rolled my eyes "_Okay_. We won't get caught. We'll just keep this whole thing on low-key."

The two of them remained silent, each thinking to themselves.

"Aight." said Caesar

"Aight what?"

"I'm down."

"Good. Jazmine?"

"Y..yeah." she replied with slight hesitance.

I looked at her, "Jazmine. You don't hav-"

She interrupted me and reassured herself "No, I said yeah. I'll do it"

"I'll get Cindy, Hiro, and Riley to help." she suggested

"We could use Cindy and Hiro, but I'm not sure about Riley."

"Ay, did someone call my name?" on cue, he waltzed into my room.

"Yeah actually, Riley. Would you be willin' to break into Wuncl-"

"Wait, did you say break in? Nigga I know you ain't got da balls to do something badass like dat."

"Just answer the damn question Riley."

"Aight, but what's in it for me?"

"You get to use a gun." I replied

"I already got my own. But yeah, I'm down."

Caesar, Jazmine and I looked at him with disbelief.

"Since when do you own a gun?" I asked

"Ya gotta expect the unexpected and be prepared for the worst sometimes, Huey. Didn't you always say dat?" He smiled as he pulled out a 9mm glock from the closet.

"Huey, you do know we could get into a lot of trouble for this." said Jazmine as a matter-of-factly

"I know Jazmine. Which is why I asked all of you if you wanted to go through with this."

"I do, but what if something bad happens?"

"I'm not gonna lie. Lots of things could happen, but some people need to be stopped. Others need a wake up call."

"He's right Jaz." said Caesar. "Only reason I'm goin' through with this is 'cause I'm tired of just sittin' on my ass and hearin' all this without having the balls to do somethin' about it. I had ideas back in BK, but no one to execute them with. Till I came here, I knew somethin' was off about this city; and somethings just gotta change."

"What Wuncler is doing is unethical. This isn't his first strike, he's been trying to take away our homes and he's adamant on puttin' the lower class and now, middle class into slavery; and no body's speakin' up. If no one will put an end to it. Then I will."

"Wait, did you say _slavery_?" asked Caesar.

"Unfortunately yes, he has brought up this idea before around granddad. That is his second option if we ever became broke and went into debt."

"Shit man. That's fucked up. Has he done it to anyone?"

"Not that I know of, but as long as his idea is out there. Anything's possible."

Jazmine exhaled "So... Do we tell anyone about this?"

"Just the people that could definitely help us. I know for a fact Hiro is an expert at hacking into computer software, and Cindy would scare the livin' shit outta these people easily."

"Whoa, I've got to meet these people." said Caesar.

"You really should! Cindy's awesome! And Hiro is so sweet." exclaimed Jazmine

The night went on with Jazmine and Riley telling Caesar all about Hiro and Cindy, Riley focused more on describing Cindy if you ask me. Anyways, we then asked Caesar about his self-defense skills. His grandfather had taught him how to box back in Brooklyn, he'd also been in a couple of street fights. Nothing the average Brooklynite couldn't handle.

Jazmine on the other hand, has been able to fight hand-to-hand combat against me, thanks to our hard training over the years. She's not bad at all; in fact, I'm sure she'd be able to kick my ass, that is, if I let her

_'You'd definitely let her.'_ The voice in my head hissed at me.

_Shut up._

Riley was able-bodied as well, he could manage to protect himself. We've encountered many fights in the past. Plus his gun would come in handy as well. Cindy has always been a violent child, and now with kickboxing, she was twice as stronger than she was before. Hiro was a black belt in Okinawan _Kenpō_, where his specialty was _Shōrin-ryū._

I had mastered in hand-to-hand combat, and _jiu-jitsu._ As well as being able to use the _katana_, _nunchaku_ and bo-staff.

My favorite weapon of all time was my Japanese engraved _katana_. I referred to it as _Black Dragon_. May sound ludicrous to some of you, but I've been naming my weapons since...forever. Like my other favorite, my stun glove; The Black Power fist.

Operation _Insurrection_ will be in effect starting... _Now._

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry if this sounded rushed... Next chapter will definitely be better...

**Peace  
**سلام

-**M**


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